Even though only one semester has passed since I have been a student living on campus, I have experienced much more than I expected to. One of the most obvious changes since high school has been my classes. Unlike before, I am able to choose the times and professors for all of my classes. This means that I must be aware of which professors and times suit my personal preferences and schedule the best. Additionally, I have much more freedom to choose which classes I take every semester, however this added responsibility means that I must maintain a four-year plan of which classes I plan to take in order to graduate on time. Additionally, the structure of classes is also different. In high school, homework and projects were assigned during class. In college, all the due dates of assignments and projects are given to us at the very beginning of the semester. This means that we are able to plan out our own schedules, as long as we are able to finish our work on time. This level of freedom was unexpected to me as I had not previously thought of the possibility that I would be able to see so far in advance. The classes themselves are also harder in difficulty compared to in high school, although this was expected. The biggest surprise to me in this regard was that work was actually easier to start. In high school, I would occasionally struggle with not being able to focus on my work. Although I have still struggled with this, it is significantly less than before. This is likely due to my increased awareness of what is due and also the ability to study wherever I want. The increase in freedom is both comforting and stressful as I know exactly when everything is due, however I am also burdened by the fact that this planning is all dependent on myself.
One of the classes I took relates to Science and Global Change (CPSG100). I did not expect the class to be so focused on the specifics of what science is and is not. Most of my high school classes that involve science tend to directly provide information about facts about the topic being taught. However, this course explored the definition of science, the methodology of the scientific theory, and the issue of climate change. I expected this course to be like my prior classes, where we are given information about events or topics under the wide label of "science." Instead, I learned about how to differentiate science from pseudoscience. This was definitely an interesting approach that I appreciate. Additionally, we took part in many excursions to learn about the world in person which was very unexpected. I enjoyed these events though, like Service Day where we helped the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens clear a pond and fortify pathways. These experiences felt much more meaningful than staying in a classroom for the entire semester.
As an on-campus student, there has been a huge shift in my routine and social life compared to in high school. I did not realize that there would be so many places to study. I expected myself to mostly stay in my own dorm or in a library to study although in reality, this was not the case. The time spent in my dorm has been much less than I generally spent in my room at home. At home, I did not have much of a choice about where to study. However, in a university, there are many places to study. Every building has some area to study and as a result, people tend to develop their own preferences about where to go study. I have enjoyed the ability to study in many different places, however the place I go to the most is Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center. It is easier to focus on work when everyone around me is also doing work. There's many more places to work though and my friends all have different preferred locations to study, ranging from the new dining hall to the 4th floor of McKeldin. I also did not expect to be studying and being with my friends as often. In high school, it was difficult to do anything with friends because of lack of reliable transportation and organization. Now, everyone is relatively close to each other so we are able to meet up and do work together. Additionally, I did not expect to get so involved on campus. In high school, there were not many clubs that I was interested in. However, there are so many clubs in UMD that I have been able to find multiple clubs that align with my interests, some of which being the Bug Club, Paints & Shells, and Open Sorcery. These clubs have made it easier to find others who share my interest and I have made many new friends because of this. I have even begun to create a small puzzle game with friends from both high school and these clubs. Furthermore, I did not expect university to have so many events to go to. The STAMP student union often had some kind of activity or event multiple times a week, especially during the first few weeks. There were a lot of larger, organized events as well like Technica, Next Now Fest, and the First Look Fair. These events were all very fun and interesting to go to and definitely exceeded my expectations of them.
For future SGC students, I would recommend them to take out and create a schedule with the due dates of all their assignments and tests. Although it may seem like this is wasting time that could have been spent studying, the work assigned at the beginning of the semester is not nearly as much as at the end of the year. Additionally, having a schedule makes planning time for assignments and studying much easier as it is easy to see exactly when something is due. Notion and Google Calendar are great tools for this and they have helped me greatly this semester. Additionally, any projects that have assigned, especially for Computer Science courses, should be started as early as possible. It doesn't need to be finished on the first day but having more time to work on the project will allow time to ask questions about areas that you are unsure about and to fix any errors. The last advice would be to talk to a lot of people, especially to professors. Going to office hours or talking to a professor after class can be very helpful to clear up any questions or uncertainties. This will also build a connection, which can lead to research or job opportunities in the future.